A trip to the mall with mom does not go as planned for a high school teacher after she crosses paths with some of her students. A short film based on the short story by Stacey Richter. The First Men, Benjamin Kegan’s MFA film from Columbia University, is a remarkable drama, touching upon drug abuse, parenting, and the education system, but doing so in a firmly character-centric way. An intimate and uncomfortable portrait of a Millennial high school teacher in the throes of a self-destructive cycle, the film’s plot builds and builds until it displays the tension and dread of a top-notch thriller.
